ARTICLES ABOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT BY DATE - PAGE 3

The Hampton Police Division is looking to change the way it interacts with its citizens, 140 characters at a time. Gearing up its efforts over the last two months or so, it has taken to Twitter , Facebook and YouTube , to share information on anything from details of a recent Walgreens robbery to a distracted driving public service announcement to notes of appreciation from citizens. In that time Hampton police public information officers Cpl. Mary Shackelford and Sgt. Jason Price have been working with 23-year-old Officer Leon Robertson, who often shoots videos - from Crime of the Week information to community messages, and all unscripted - and helps manage the police department's Facebook and YouTube pages.

As local retailers prepare for throngs of post Thanksgiving shoppers, many Peninsula-based law enforcement agencies are beefing up patrols to provide them with added security. The Newport News Police Department, like Hampton police and the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office, will increase patrols at local malls and shopping centers throughout the holidays beginning Black Friday, the official kick-off of the holiday shopping season. "It's a long-standing tradition of the department," said Lou Thurston, Newport News police spokesman.

Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan on Monday released the findings of an investigation into his deputies' release of murder suspect Eric Nixon in October. While he conducted that inquiry with appropriate urgency, the report's conclusions raise a host of concerns. Particularly on a matter this serious, the Hampton and Newport News sheriffs should be engaged with one another, working to determine how this happened and fixing it for the future. The absence of such communication is unacceptable.

Review the circumstances that lead to the mistaken release of murder suspect Eric L. Nixon Jr. from the Newport News jail last month and two contributing factors emerge. First, Mr. Nixon was charged with crimes in two different jurisdictions. While behind bars, he also turned 18, which necessitated his transfer from one facility to another. Those situations require a considerable amount of paperwork and, since they coincided, created ample opportunity for mistakes. Second, there was insufficient and inadequate communication between local law enforcement agencies.

YORK — Being a cop is nothing like what people see on television, according to Deputy Mike Russell, a crime prevention specialist with the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office. "Most people get their idea of what law enforcement is from television," he said. "They think it's all about locking people up. "Really what we do is solve problems in our community. " Russell is one of two officers who oversee the Sheriff's Citizen Academy, which gives residents a behind-the-scenes look at all aspects of law enforcement.

HAMPTON — The race for Hampton sheriff in the Nov. 5 election pits longtime incumbent Sheriff B.J. Roberts against challenger Jim Adams, once one of Roberts' highest-ranking officers. Roberts, 63, has been sheriff for 21 years. First elected in a special election in 1992, he has won five straight regular elections — in 1993, 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2009. Adams, 58, retired in January 2009 as a lieutenant colonel, or third in command of the Hampton Sheriff's Office, after more than 30 years with the agency.

Peninsula law enforcement agencies and several medical sites and pharmacies are offering collection centers for unused, unwanted prescription drugs on Saturday — no questions asked. Part of the 7 t h Annual National Take-Back Initiative sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice, collection sites will operate throughout the region between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26. According to the Food and Drug Administration, accidental exposure to medicine is a major source of unintentional poisonings.

NEWPORT NEWS - Whether or not Newport News sheriff's deputies should continue their expanded law enforcement role on the streets was a main topic discussed during a candidate forum Thursday evening. Candidates Pricillia Burnett, Leroy Johnson Jr. and N.C. "Chris" Wells spoke at the "Ask the Candidates Forum," hosted by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Johnson, 62, said that while deputies are trained to handle law enforcement duties on the street, they should be focused on their primary responsibilities which include transporting inmates and keeping order in the jail and courthouses.

The sheriffs from Newport News and Hampton are running for re-election this year, and in both cases they are being challenged by longtime deputies who had served under them. In Newport News, two additional challengers with long careers in law enforcement joined the race. After much consideration, we have chosen to endorse the two incumbents, Gabe Morgan of Newport News and B.J. Roberts of Hampton. In both races, one of them very contentious, opponents have raised issues about department morale under the current administration.

Tuesday Update: The Isle of Wight Sheriff's Office continues its search for the man wanted in connection to the abduction and sexual assault of of 11-year-old girl last week, a spokeswoman said. The Sheriff's Office has been searching for the man since Wednesday when an elementary student told law enforcement officials that she was sexually assaulted in two locations after she was abducted from a bus stop about 8 a.m., according to an Isle Wight Sheriff's Office news release. The girl was waiting at a bus stop in a Carrollton neighborhood off Route 17 between Brewer's Neck Boulevard and the Crittenden Bridge before the abduction, the news release said.